Zarkon
Emperor Zarkon is the leader of the Galra Empire, the father of Prince Lotor, and the original Paladin of the Black Lion of Voltron. History From Hero to Villain Over 10,000 years ago, Zarkon was an ally of King Alfor of Altea, and worked with him to create Voltron before assuming the role of Black Paladin. Zarkon fought at least one major battle and was able to use all of the Black Lion's abilities, but over time he came to see the Lion and Voltron itself as mere tools for his own use. He thus led the Galra people in an invasion of Altea, seeking to claim Voltron for himself, but was deceived by Alfor into believing that the Lions had been destroyed. Despite this, Zarkon destroyed Altea, though he recruited at least one Altean, Haggar, to his cause, and with her magical abilities found a way to harness the powerful substance known as quintessence for his Empire's usage. Haggar also found a way to infuse the quintessence into Zarkon himself, allowing him to remain alive and youthful over the next 10,000 years as he led the Empire in conquering most of the known universe. More recently, he would take a personal hand in the training of Commander Sendak, who became one of his most trusted soldiers. He would also discover that the Voltron Lions still existed, having been taken to safety by their former Paladins or hidden away by Alfor, and set out to reclaim them. This effort would result in the abduction of Takashi Shirogane, Samuel Holt, and Matthew Holt of Galaxy Garrison, whom Zarkon ordered to be interrogated. Voltron Returns Eventually, Shiro escaped Galra custody with the aid of the Blade of Marmora, a secret organization dedicated to Zarkon's overthrow, and made his way back to his home planet Earth, hiding place of the Blue Lion. He and a group of his comrades found the Lion and subsequently departed Earth in it, traveling to Arus, where Alfor had hidden the Castle of Lions. When Haggar sensed the awakening of Allura, Alfor's daughter, Zarkon contacted Sendak and ordered him to travel to Arus and deal with the threat she posed and capture the remaining Lions. Unfortunately for Zarkon, the Paladins succeeded in recovering all five Lions and forming Voltron, destroying Sendak's ship though the commander and a handful of his troops survived. Haggar soon turned her attention towards the creation of a Robeast to deal with Voltron, though after an infusion of quintessence Zarkon felt he had the power to crush the new Paladins himself. When Haggar's warrior Myzax fell before Voltron, Zarkon contacted Sendak on Arus and instructed him to capture the Castle of Lions in order to redeem himself, and was confident in his ability to succeed. Sendak came close but was thwarted, and the Castle of Lions departed Arus and made its way towards a Balmera that the Galra had occupied and mined for its powerful crystals. When Commander Prorok suggested mobilizing the Galra fleet to seize it, Zarkon chose instead to heed Haggar's counsel and remain in place while she conducted an experiment with a new device with an even greater ability to harvest quintessence. When Prorok later came to report that he had a fleet ready to capture Voltron, Zarkon dismissed his claims as foolishness, being far more acquainted with Voltron's powers than his disobedient underling. Soon, Zarkon received a pleasant surprise as Allura, who had been captured while infiltrating a Galra ship, was brought to him, and when she claimed that Voltron would destroy him assured her that it would only make him more powerful. When the Paladins formed Voltron and attacked his command ship in an effort to free her, Haggar used her magic to boost Zarkon's connection to the Black Lion, allowing him to seize control of it. When Allura's aid Coran disrupted the effort to tractor the Black Lion aboard the command ship, Zarkon flew out to retrieve it himself only to be engaged by Keith, Paladin of the Red Lion. Revealing his possession of the Black Bayard, Zarkon easily held Keith at bay with the weapon, but was then surprised when Keith unlocked a cannon ability of his Lion. The continuing struggle prompted Zarkon to remark that Keith fought like a Galra, but he nearly killed the young Paladin before being halted by Shiro, who had reclaimed the Black Lion; the Paladins then made their escape. Growing Obsession Personality Zarkon is a ruthless conqueror who believes that the strong have the right to rule and survival, while the weak must perish. He has made this the creed of the Galra Empire, as well as the fanatic maxim that "Only success or death will stop" individual members of the Empire. Zarkon has no patience for flattery or for disobedience, and is willing to have even veteran commanders disposed of in the event of failure. Haggar is Zarkon's closest confidant, and usually the prevailing voice in any council between Zarkon and his command staff. Zarkon's greatest weakness was his obsession with reclaiming possession of the Black Lion, which he saw as his rightful property and as a weapon answerable only to him. In this respect he failed to recognize that the Black Lion possessed a will of its own, something that Shiro was fully aware of and embraced, which strengthened the human's connection to the Lion and weakened Zarkon's. Zarkon's determination to capture the Black Lion blinded him to all other concerns, and even Haggar was unable to dissuade him when he was caught up in it. Abilities Zarkon was incredibly powerful, having spent the past 10,000 years being infused with quintessence that allowed him to maintain prime physical condition and may have had additional benefits as well. His resilience was incredible, as he was not only able to pilot his battle mech-which had killed all previous pilots-but to survive its destruction by Voltron's Blazing Sword, though he was left comatose as a result. Though the vastness of his empire forced him to rely upon his commanders to oversee distant operations, Zarkon was no stranger to battle on the front lines. His usual attire consisted of a suit of armor to which his royal robes and ceremonial armor could be attached or detached, and incorporated a jetpack that made him capable of flight. While in possession of the Black Bayard Zarkon could use it in a variety of forms and functions, whereas the current Voltron Paladins have only been seen to demonstrate one weapon produced by their Bayards. This weapon was capable of striking down one of Haggar's Druids with a single blow and also enabled Zarkon to face the Red Lion in combat with no other armaments or support. Zarkon's connection to the Black Lion also allowed him-with Haggar's aid-to locate it even from vast distances away, and at close enough range he could seize control of it even while Shiro was in the cockpit or the Lion was part of Voltron. He could also enter an astral plane accessible to the Black Lion and its Paladins, and proved a skilled combatant who nearly succeeded in killing Shiro. However, their battle in that arena resulted in Shiro's connection to the Lion growing and Zarkon's weakening, which left him unable even with aid from Haggar and the Druids to locate the Black Lion unless Shiro broadcasted his location to Zarkon. Trivia Category:Voltron Category:Voltron: Legendary Defender characters Category:Villains Category:Kings Category:Aliens